A BREWER is raising a glass to becoming the new town mayor, and says he intends to brew a special ale to raise cash for his annual charity.

Cllr John Winder was elected Ross-on-Wye Town Mayor at a council meeting last week.

The 49-year-old head brewer at the Bespoke Brewery in Littledean has lived in the town since 2009 with wife and consort Camilla.

And he says: “It’s going to be a steep learning curve – I’ve never done anything like this before – but I’m looking forward to it.

“I’m honoured to be elected to the office of Mayor and will be doing my best to promote the town around Herefordshire as well as continuing to work for local people in my role as town councillor.

“My thanks go to Cllr Daniel Lister, the previous Mayor, for his continuing help and encouragement, as well as to Ross Liberal Democrats for supporting me.

“I’m very much looking forward to working with Cllr John O’Driscoll, the new Deputy Mayor, too.”

Cllr Winder first stood for election to the town council as part of the local Liberal Democrat team in 2015, and won election for Ross North when he stood the second time in 2019.

“For the last few years I’ve worked as a brewer in a local microbrewery and I’m currently the head brewer at Bespoke Brewery in the Forest of Dean,” he adds.

“One of the things I want to do for my chosen Mayoral Charity - Ross on Wye’s Enviroability, a fantastic charity which does a great deal for people with physical disabilities and learning difficulties - is brew a charity beer to sell locally!

“I’m also a guitarist and singer, so another option I’ll be exploring is some sort of charity festival.”

Cllr Winder will also be getting on his bike to help the community - quite literally.

He doesn’t own a car and uses a bike for transport as well as leisure.

“I commute to work at Littledean most days in the week, which is doing wonders for my fitness!” he says.